Euphonium Question

[adsteve]

Alright, I am well out of my depth here. I stumbled into a good deal on a Yamaha 641 Euphonium that plays incredibly well for the price I paid for it. Since I got so lucky on my first try buying, I have not done much of any research on euphoniums.

I have a middle school student who is a great player that is in need of an upgrade. Could someone point me in the right direction of models to try? The budget is around $2,000, so I've been looking at some used Besson instruments as well as the Wessex Dolce. Can someone give me some recommendations on other instruments to look into keeping the budget in mind? I want to make sure we are making a good step forward with her instrument, so I don't want to steer her wrong due to my lack of brand knowledge.

Thanks!

[Sousaswag]

2,000 won't get you many options. You could find a used Besson New Standard for about that much money, just be aware those have some odd intonation characteristics. I haven't played s Wessex or Eastman so I can't speak for those. You could get a used Besson/Willson for around $4,500. If I were you, I might look at the Eastman or Wessex before an old Besson.

[Rick F]

To 'adsteve'. Congrasts on getting a Yamaha 641 at a good price. I played one of those for 12 years. Nice focused tone and pretty good intonation (my grandson has it on loan still).

Not sure what euph your middle school student has. Maybe a Yamaha 201 3-valve horn but not sure. If that's the case I would suggest a Yamaha 321 4 valve non-compensating horn. You can get one of those in really good shape for the price you mentioned. They seem to hold their resale value pretty well for when/if she wants to get a compensating model. The 321 bore is manageable by younger players at .570 whereas the compensator is .590.

[bbocaner]

Once in a blue moon a good deal on a pro euphonium comes up for around $2000 - besson sovereign, willson 2900, yamaha yep-642 or yep-641, york (keilwerth-schreiber) preference, etc. But this is very rare, and often they've got some cosmetic defect or some dents. I would be careful about an older besson new standard. Some of them are very nice instruments but a lot of them are starting to get to the point where they need valve jobs, or otherwise have not been well cared for.

The Wessex is decent. It's not my favorite euphonium ever, but it's decent and solidly built and wessex will stand behind it.

Middle school player might be more happy with a smaller instrument like the yamaha 321. Slightly smaller bell and a small-shank mouthpiece receiver and smaller bore. Good instrument that even some pros (especially trombone doublers) use, but just not as huge as a modern euphonium. But a serious player would probably want to upgrade again when they got to high school.

[adsteve]

Best euphonium for $2000 or less is the Packer 274. I like it better than the Yamaha, Besson and Willson. The only euph I would upgrade to is the adams. Last week I had an opportunity to get an adams for CHEAP and I turned it down because I like the Packer so much.

Bloke is a Packer dealer, he'll give you the best price, a lot cheaper than any price you look up online.

I’ve recommended they go with the JP274 or 374 and that they contact someone we may or may not know to discuss the difference between the two.

The store I teach them at tried to convince them that Yamaha was the only way to go and they needed a non-compensating, four top action, euphonium.

[Jerryleejr]

Theres is a King 2280 within that price range on Dwerden...

[adsteve]

Sigh. The 321 is by no means a terrible horn, but it sounds like they were just trying to sell what they had on hand

I've played the 374, I like the 274 a lot more, and it's much cheaper

I know it wouldn’t have been a bad horn, but the way they went about pitching it rubbed me the wrong way. Especially when they didn’t even try to ask me what I thought......granted I would have come here for information either way. I’m just glad the parents thought to come to me for a recommendation before blindly buying what the guitar player told them they should buy.

[iiipopes]

Have you consulted Dave Werden's euphonium website and forum? They have great advice and experience on this exact issue:
http://www.dwerden.com/forum/forum.php#.XZ3rr25FyM8" target="_blank

[iMav]

Best euphonium for $2000 or less is the Packer 274. I like it better than the Yamaha, Besson and Willson. The only euph I would upgrade to is the adams. Last week I had an opportunity to get an adams for CHEAP and I turned it down because I like the Packer so much.

Bloke is a Packer dealer, he'll give you the best price, a lot cheaper than any price you look up online.

Capital Music Gear in Madison, WI is currently offering the best deals on new JP274 horns via their eBay store.

Currently accepting $1250 offers on the lacquer finish (free shipping):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175424707616

Currently accepting $1525 offers on the silver-plate finish (free shipping):
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175456218390

(I picked up one in lacquer finish for $1250...arrived today. Great horn!)